The strength of Mackie Rugby Club’s youth section was higlighted with their success in the Saltire Energy Caledonia Cup.
The club’s under-18 boys team came back from 33-7 down to defeat Stirling County 38-33 in an enthralling final held in Aberdeen at Sheddocksley.
Mackie Rugby Club’s emergence as major force in the development of youth rugby is well known in Scottish circles, including their many successes in the Caledonian game, not least in the north-east.
For those aquatinted with the Stonehaven based club, this success has not been achieved overnight but carefully nurtured by a succession of ambitious committees at Redcloak, all dedicated to promoting the game among young people in the area.
Current president Neil Foster paid tribute to those forward thinking members who have put the club on the map.
He said: “Thanks to them the youth section has become known throughout Scotland, while currently we have 128 youngsters aged from 13 to under 18, including girls at Redcloak on a twice weekly basis, all responding to the promptings of director of rugby Andrew Mitchell and our development officer James Sadio.
“They do a great job for as do the 16 volunteer coaches who support the section.”
Sadio has been with the club for 12 years, carrying on the good work of previous regimes, while looking to the future, including the senior team who play in Caley 2 North, but with aspirations to go back to Caley Division 1, the top league in the Caledonian set up.
“We really should be up there, considering the number of youngsters who have come through the youth ranks over the years,” said Sadio.
Saltire Energy Caledonia Cup | With just one try separating the two sides, Mackie manage to seal the deal to win the Boys U18 Cup 🏆 Full-time: @MackieRugby 38 @StirlingCounty 33 pic.twitter.com/8d6B0T14Q3
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) May 1, 2022
“We have had a number of youngsters who have gone on to play in the Scotland under age teams, while others have turned out for the Caledonian Under 16, 18 and 20s.
“We believe we have a responsibility to improve the skills levels of youngsters on and off the field of play.
“We also want to ensure they enjoy training and playing. We are committed to developing the person and not just the player; a point we stress in our academy programme.”
The section ended the season on a high at the weekend when the boys under-18 team won the final of the Caledonian Cup at Sheddocksley, staging a remarkable fight back to come from 33-7 down to beat Stirling County 38-33 in the last minute.
Sadio added: “Days like this make you very proud but then I am proud of all we do here at Redcloak.
“I look forward (to) seeing this great club go forward in the future. My own target is to become a full time coach. Mackie have given me a great opportunity for which I am very grateful.”